SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Fahmy wants Egypt citizenship back

Former Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who was jailed in Egypt with Australian Peter Greste, says he wants his Egyptian citizenship back.

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

A Canadian journalist who spent much of the past two years jailed in Egypt says he has requested Egyptian authorities restore the citizenship he renounced in order to win his release.

Mohamed Fahmy, a former Al-Jazeera journalist who was released in September after receiving a pardon from Egypt's president, was a dual citizen but renounced his Egyptian citizenship late last year.

Fahmy was arrested in 2013 with his Al Jazeera English colleagues, Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed.

In a case widely condemned by rights groups, he was sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial this year for airing what a court described as "false news" and coverage biased in favour of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Fahmy lives in Canada but owns property in Egypt and says reclaiming citizenship is a matter of principle.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world